BISD adds director
By Nathan Straus News Reporter

Brownsboro Independent School District has approved the hiring of Spencer Newman to fill the position of director of maintenance. The decision was made at the Monday, February 11 school board of trustees meeting.

Newman will replace outgoing director Travis Foster.

Elaine Goode, secretary to school superintendent Elton Caldwell, said Foster leaving because he is retiring. The retirement party was Wednesday, February 13, in the administration building's board room.

Newman's first day on the job has yet to be disclosed.

The board visited several matters of standard procedure during the monthly meeting. The 2008-2009 budget calendar was approved, a measure part of the path to the August budget approval.

A school trustee election was also ordered for March 10 from 7 am to 7 pm. Up for re-election will be Rebecca Grantham and Bobby Lankford, Lankford having entered the board as a replacement trustee after the beginning of the school year. The voting sites for election day will be the Brownsboro Junior High cafeteria, the Chandler Community Center and the Moore Station water system building.

Rosemary Parmley, Juanita Teague and Kathlene English were recommended as judges for the election and Flora Banks was recommended as the early vote clerk. Elaine Good and Elton Caldwell were chosen as agents to represent the secretary of the school board in fulfilling election duties.

In addition to approving the 2008-2009 school calendar, not to be confused with the budget calendar, the board also received gifts from the Brownsboro Little Dribblers Organization in the form of $1,000 from the Boys Little Dribblers and $1,000 from the Girls Little Dribblers.

Elton Caldwell said the money would go toward the purchase of a new scoreboard for the old school gym.

A statement of impact followed in regards to two charter schools, Eagle Charter School in Louisville and Southwest in Houston, Goode said.

"It's basically a statement saying there is no significant impact to our school," Goode said.

After reviewing a series of policy updates regarding issues including harassment, abuse, adult students and attendance, the board amended the minutes of the October 8, 2007 board of trustees meeting. This was in response to a clerical error concerning the purchase of land where a section of the minutes cited an incorrect number for the acreage owned by John Rash. The land has since been purchased.

One urgent project needed to be addressed at the meeting; the football stadium's guest-side bleachers. Caldwell said if the wooden seats are not replaced with aluminum versions the school may eventually get hit with an expensive bill to repair the wooden bleachers. The matter will be up for discussion at future meetings.

Caldwell also recommended extending multiple contracts. Assistant Brownsboro High School principals Jeff Howard and Karen Beam's contracts will be changed from a one-year probationary contract to a two-year contract. Brownsboro Intermediate School principal Jennifer Settle and BHS principal Kenneth Wooten's contract will also be extended the same way.

Several more certified directors, supervisors and campus and district administrators had their contracts extended by one year.

"We're pleased with all our administrators," Caldwell said.

Finally, BHS coach John Settle spoke to the board on implementing a mental strength training program to improve the mental toughness of students.